Expansion providing roof structure



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Patented Oct. 11', 1938V UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Y Y p 2,133,038'

EXrANsIoN PROVIDING Roon` STRUCTURE.,

lHerbert Alfred Faber, Cincinnati, om Application July 14, 1937, Serial VNo. 153,465

1o onims.

copper because of its relatively high coeflicient of eXpansion,-said exaggerated expansion and contraction being a factorwhich hasY hitherto deterred its general use as a roof surfacingv material-the copper'sheet is not rigidly secured, as by nailing or cementing, to the roof structure itself. For securing the surfacing material, re-` silient means are employed, preferably comprising coil springs of bronze or other non-corrodible margins of the copper sheets, and secured to -suitable rigid anchors, which maybe spaced -from the roof structure itself, but coextensive With the sides thereof. Advantageously, the customary rain may be employed as the anchors, it beingunderstood that suitable spaced bracers or stiffeners which in modern house construction may include a suitable flat concrete slab overlaid with a bed. of cinder concrete, gypsum sawdust mixture, or

other similar material. The saidmaterial is Ipreferably screeded to provide a peak or arch, and may preferably have shallow, broad corrugations. The copper sheet is caused to follow the contour of the' corrugations, and may be provided with an undercoatingfof asphalticV cement, not for Ythe purpose of structurally securing the surfacing material, or for rendering the roof structure Water-tight, but to cushion the copper sheeting induced in the copper of the roof surface by the play of wind thereon. y Y

Preferably,the roof surface may be spanned by rods or strips of .copper or bronze-.preferably To provide for the accentuated dimensional changes of the sheeting, unavoidable material, stationed at spaced locations along theV gutters and prevent or dampen vibrations'which may be Y lying in the valleys of the corrugated roof surface, and secured to the anchoring springs at each side of the roof. The rods serve to prevent buckling of the surfacing material when the latter is expanding in a direction perpendicular thereto, but do not Adeter the normal-expansion 5 or contraction of the copper. It is intended that the roof spanning rods be of a material having a `coefficient of expansion substantially equalto that ofthe surfacing material.- 1

Characteristics vof the invention, therefore, are l0 the elastic quality ofthe surface-material holding means, and the uniformity of contact of the surface-material with theroof structure.

In the accompanying draWing:- Y

VFigure 1 is a vertical section of a roof strucl5 ture;

Figure 2 is an enlarged sectional view of the structure near one rain gutter, showing a tensilespring anchor and gutter stiiening brace;

Figure 3 is a transverse section taken along 20 kil--3 of Figure 2, illustrating the corrugations of the roof surface, with the transverse roof-spanning rods lying in the valleys of the corrugations; and

Figure 4 is afragmentary plan view of the roof 25 structure illustrating the sub-structure, the .spaced resilient anchors, and the connection of vthe spanning rods therewith.

Referring'to Figure 1, l0 designates generally aatslab concrete roof sub-structure, provided 30 with suitable metallic rain ygutters Il, l2 rmly` secured to the concrete slab I5 of the roof structureat the sides thereof, and coextensive with the sides. Building Walls are indicated at I3, 14. The flat slab l5 is preferably overlaid with a bed 35 YI6 vof cinder-concrete, gypsum sawdust mixture, or other material which can be bonded to the concrete Vsub-base, andY worked, as by screeding, into Va Alow peaked or arched configuration as indicatedln'Figure 1,'to provide a Water shedding 40 structure. It' is preferable also-that in screeding` the bed I6,it be given a shallowly corrugated form, the said corrugations extending trans'- ver'sely of the roof as indicated in Figures 3 and 4.

Advanta'geously, the roof surfacing material 45 may be copper sheeting or foil l'l, too thin to 'be used alone,VV but'adequate toprovide a weathertight, durable roof when laid on, and secured to,

the supporting sub-structure in the manner herein described.v The roof surface is preferably co- 50 extensive with the said structure, and maybe assembled of moderately wide sheeting, suitably renderedf water-tight by overlapping jointsand soldering where necessary. `As` illustrated in Figure3,` the-sheeting is causedto follow the corru- 55 5o,YAY to'expand readily, as contraction of the metal gations of the bed I6; and as shown in Figure 4, may be laid on a cushioning coating I8 of nonresonant adhesive material, such as asphalt, to prevent or dampen wind-induced vibrations.` The sheeting I'I preferably overlies the gutters, see

Figs. 2 and 4, and is provided at such overlying edges with reinforcement I9, thus affording strong marginal surfaces |911.. It is a feature of this invention that the sheeting is not rigidly*y secured to the roof structure at any point.y

To hold the sheetingY I 'I in contact with the roof structure, and yet permit movement thereof relative to the structure toV allow for expansion and contraction of the copper in any direction and in any degree, resilient anchoring means, preferably in the form of bronze springs 2l, are prefcompressionmembers 22 may be lprovided as indicated in Figures 2 and 4. v y

Preferably, additional securing means are provided, in the form of rroof-spanning rods 23 having eyelets 23a through which mutually registering springs 2l may be hooked at each side of the roof. It isobviously preferable that the rods 23; be of a material having acoefcient of expansion equal to that of the roof surfacing material.

As previously stated, the'cinder-concrete bed I5 is preferably convex or peaked. As indicated in Fig. 2, the arrangement of the springs 2i with respect to the gutters II, I2 andthe roof structure I!) brings the longitudinal axes of the springs into conformity with the slope of theV roof-structure, thus exerting a tensile pull in the plane of theoppositelysloping sides of thereof, if peaked; or;V substantially tangential `to the curvature thereof, if arcuate as shown in Fig. 1. The tendency of the springs, and likewise ofY the Yrods 23, to flatten they contour of the roof serves to maintain the sheeting I'I in evenly tensicned contact with the bed I6 over the entire surface thereof. Y

The springs 2i shouldbe sufficiently resilient y Vshortens Ythe overall span thereof, without imposing-van undue strain on the margins I 9a ofthe sheeting, or on Ythe rods 23. "The springsalso shouldbe suflcientlyexpanded under anyigiven Ltemperature condition to be contractile under conditions of increasing temperatur-.eend conse'- quent expansion of the sheeting Il, Itis fundamental that at all times, suicientftens'ion be exerted on the sheeting to urge it into gagernent with the bed i6.

'It will be seen, thatpursuant vto this construction; expansion, and contraction. of the copper surfacing material inany direction and -in any degree are provided for in a manner which'does not imposeL a. strain on thereof sub-structure,

' and which precludes tearing .or otherwise rupturling the surfacingV material. The springs 2l yield to the movement of the copper under its expan-r sion or contraction, and thus, with the rods 23, maintain the surfacing material in intimate contactY with the underlying bedV I5.. Expansion or contraction in a direction longitudinally of theY roof, that is, atright angles .to Athe corrugations of the roof. structure, is accomodated by. the cor.-

close enrugations per se;fand buckling of the surfacing material by its expansion in this direction is effectively resisted by the spring-induced downward pressure of the rods.

Whereas I have described my invention by reference to specific forms thereof, it will be understood thatmany'changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. Y

I claim:

1. A roof structure, including, in combination, a structural base, a Weather-exposed unitary metallic sheet overlying said baseand coextensive therewith, and resilient means arranged to urge the said sheet into contact with vsaid structural base.

2. A roof structure, including, in combination, a structural base, anchoring means associated therewith, a weather-exposed unitary metallic sheet overlying said base and coextensive there- With, and resilient 'means having extremities respectively secured to opposed marginal edges of the said sheet and to said anchoring means, for urging the said sheet into contact with said base.

3. A roof structure, Vincluding incombination, a structural base, a `weather-'exposed metallic sheet overlying said base and ccextensive therewith, anchoring means spaced from the said base, and resilient'means having extremities respectively secured to the marginal edges of said sheet and to the saidanchoring means, said resilient means exerting a'tensile pull on the said sheet and thereby urging it into Vcontact with theY said base.

4. A roof structure, including, in combination, a structural base, a weather-exposed metallic sheet overlying said base and coextensive therewith, water gutters coextensive with the sides of said base and secured thereto, and tensile springs having ends respectively secured to the marginal edges of the said sheet and to the said gutters, said resilient means exerting a tensile pull on said sheet'and thereby urging it -intocontact with said base.

5. A roof structure, including, in combination, a vstructural base, a weather-exposed metallic sheet overlying said base and coextensive there- With, anchoring means .coextensive with opposite sides of said base and spaced" therefrom, and

paired, tensile springs secured to the marginal surface of said sheet and to saidanchoring means U and arranged to exert a downward pull on said anchoringV means additionally serving as Water conductors for the'said roof, and means for resiliently holding said surfacing material into contact with said structural base, including tensile springs secured to the marginal'edges of the said surfacing material Vand to the anchoring means and paired with springs disposedV on the lopposite side of said roof structure, and transverse tension members spanning said `slirfacing material and in contact therewith, saidk members jsecured at their terminalV ends to the said springs.

. 7. A roof structure, including, inV combination,

a structural base, weather-exposed surfacing material overlying said base, anchoring means coextensive with opposite sides of saidbase, said anchoring means additionally serving as rain- Water conductors for thesaid roof, and meansk for holding said surfacing material in contact with said structural base while permitting move'- nient relatively thereto, including tensile springs secured to the marginal edges of the said surfacing material and to the anchoring means and paired with springs disposed on the opposite side of said roof structure, and rods secured at their` terminal ends to said springs and transversely spanning said roof structure in contact'there-- proofing material and thereby urging it into con`V tact with said structural surface.

9. Means for resiliently holding a. membrane roofing material in contact with a structural surface, said roofing material having a relatively great coeicient of expansion, including springs having their ends respectively swivelly anchored and secured to said roofing material along oppositely located marginal portions thereof, and rods spanning said roofing material and lying in contact therewith, said rods joined at their terminal ends to the said springs, whereby expansion and -contraction of the said roong material is absorbed by the ilexing of the said springs, said roofing material being held thereby under uniform tension.

l0. Means for holding a membrane roof surfacing material in contact with a structural sur- -face against the movement of said material induced by expansion and contraction thereof, including, incombination, springs having one end swivelly anchored and another end secured to said roofing material, said springs being located on oppositely disposed side-surfaces thereof, said springs exerting a downwardly directed tensile pull at the opposite sides of said material, and transverse rods spanning said roofing material in Y contact therewith and secured to said oppositely disposed springs, wherebyV movement of the said material in the line of action of said springs is taken up by the exing thereof, and the expansion or contraction of the surfacing material in a direction perpendicular to said line of spring action is substantially unopposed by said springs or by said transverse rods, the said rods serving Vto prevent buckling or otherwise separation of the said surfacing material from the said surface.

HERBERT ALFRED FABER. 

